Oscar show producer Brian Grazer says that the Hollywood & Highland Center, the hall formerly known as the Kodak where the ceremony takes place, will be redesigned to resemble a "timeless movie theater." It's a fitting transformation on a night whose key nominees are "Hugo" and "The Artist," two love songs to forebears of the flickering image.

Set amid the transition from silent cinema to talking pictures in the late 1920s, "The Artist" is the best-picture favorite and would become the only silent movie to win top honors since the first Oscar show 83 years ago.

Danny Moloshok / Reuters

Scenic artist Sam Costa paints a sign in preparation for the 84th Academy Awards on Thursday.

Ever wonder who's casting ballots for Hollywood's most prestigious award? After eight months of research, the LA Times found the majority of the Academy's members are white, older males. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.